The Literary Heritage of the Arabs samples some of the finest literature produced by Arab writers from pre-Islamic times to the Abbasid Dynasty. The selection of poetry and prose spans many genres and styles, from the tragic to the comic, the wistful to the mystical, and the courtly to the lowly.

Oneworld Publications and the Kahlil Gibran Research and Studies Project at the University of Maryland have put together The Essential Gibran, a volume of selected passages representative of Gibran's style and thought. The collection includes selections from his Arabic works, English works, letters, and selected criticism of his artwork as well as his writings.

Offering a wide variety of theme, occasion, mood, and form, his essential style is captured in reflective poetic prose, dramatic sketches, allegories and parables, national and international addresses, and romantic writings of all...